


Orphan's 8

by bearpantaloons



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F, Heist, Ocean's 8 - Freeform, all of the tropey characters made this a lot easier to adapt, delicious cophine angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 12:57:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16086578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearpantaloons/pseuds/bearpantaloons
Summary: Sarah Manning is in charge of an elaborate heist to steal a cure for her sister, Cosima. In her way are Rachel Duncan and Delphine Cormier. Can she get the cure in time?Basically just an excuse to make Ocean's 8 gay(er) - with clones!





	1. Chapter 1

The cell door clangs behind Sarah Manning and echoes throughout the ward. Still wearing her orange jumpsuit, she’s led down a narrow corridor to a small interview room and she’s instructed to sit down. A few minutes later, a tall redhead walks in and sits across from Sarah. She has a file in her hands and begins flipping through it.

“Money laundering, embezzlement, grand theft, drug trafficking… you’ve got quite a record, Sarah.”

Sarah shrugs. “Stick with what you’re good at, I guess.”

The woman lets out a long, drawn out sigh. “You know this is for your parole hearing, right? Try to act at least a little remorseful.”

Sarah leans forward. “I am so, very, sorry… for getting caught.”

The woman sighs again, puts the papers back into his briefcase and stands. “Just… don’t do anything stupid for the next two days, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Who’s picking me up, Adele?”

The lawyer opens the door to leave the room and says, “Your sister.” She closes the door and Sarah yells back at her.

“Which one?”

* * *

The next couple of days are pretty normal. Sarah does as she was told and keeps her head down. Her cellmate gives her a parting gift: a shank made from a toothbrush. On her release day, guards lead her out to the locker rooms to change. The clothes she came in with are folded neatly on a bench. She changes and then heads to a small window, where another officer is sitting. She opens a plastic bag and empties its contents. The guard slides a lighter, a wallet, and a photograph of Sarah’s daughter, Kira, through the slot.

Sarah gathers her things and exits the building. The sunlight stings her eyes and she blocks it out with her hand. She looks around and sees a familiar car out in the distance and her sister leaning against it.

“Cosima!” Sarah calls out.

Cosima looks up and a smile appears on her face as she jogs over to Sarah and wraps her up in a big hug.

“Hey, sis, missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Sarah replies. She releases Cosima and takes a step back. “How is everyone? Mrs. S? Kira?”

“They’re good, Kira’s getting so big and she just started school for the year.”

“Fourth grade, yeah?”

“Um… fifth.”

Sarah has missed the past five years of her life, which means missing the past five years of her daughter’s life. Sure, she got letters periodically, but reading about life outside is completely different from actually experiencing it.

The pair climb into the car and Cosima turns it on. She takes another look at her sister.

“ _That’s_ what you were wearing when you got arrested?” Cosima teases.

Sarah looks down at her clothes. She’s wearing a t-shirt full of holes, a leather jacket, and jeans with even more holes. “Yeah, so what?”

Cosima chuckles. “Nothing, nothing.” She begins having a coughing fit and covers her mouth with her hand. Once she’s done, she looks down and sees blood splatter all over her hand.

“Not getting any better?” Sarah asks, frowning.

Cosima shakes her head. “I’ve been trying different treatments, but it’s only been calming the symptoms, not curing anything.”

They drive back to Sarah’s loft in silence. When they arrive, Sarah takes a look around and it’s exactly the same way as she left it, but maybe with a little more dust. Sarah flops onto her couch and sinks into it. She closes her eyes and Cosima sits on the recliner that sits adjacent to the couch.

Sarah opens her eyes and sits up again. “Cos, I have a plan.”

Cosima’s forehead wrinkles in concern. “What do you mean you have a plan? All of your plans always end up with someone in jail and you _just_ got out.”

Sarah grins cheekily and shrugs. “I’ve had five years to think about it. We gotta get the team back together.”

“I don’t know, Sarah. Some of them have moved on, like Alison. She’s got a family now.”

Sarah grins. “You let me take care of Alison. Send out the clone signal and tell them all to meet here. I’m borrowing your car.”

Cosima sighs. Once Sarah gets an idea in her head, there’s pretty much nothing you can do to get her to think about anything else. When it comes to cons, Sarah has a one-track mind. Cosima pulls her laptop out of her bag and starts typing up an encrypted e-mail to the rest of their team.

_Sarah’s out. Need to meet. Sarah’s loft, tomorrow. 1:00pm._

Cosima pushes ‘send’ and waits.

Sarah makes her way through the suburbs to find Alison’s house. She wrinkles her nose in disgust after seeing the same cookie cutter houses for three blocks. She sees Alison’s minivan and pulls up in front of the house that’s across the street. She canvasses the area and makes sure no one is around.

The garage to Alison’s house is open, so Sarah sneaks in through the door inside. The house is quiet and really clean. Like, disturbingly clean. Sarah slinks around and makes her way to the kitchen and spots Alison wiping down the counter with oversized yellow gloves.

“Hey, Ali.” Sarah says while leaning in the doorway.

Alison screeches, grabs a knife from the dish drainer, and whirls around. When she realizes it’s only Sarah, she slams the knife down on the counter. “Oh, f-f-fudgesicles! Sarah! What are you doing here?” 

“Nice to see you, too. I have a job for us, Alison.”

Alison rips the gloves off of her hands and circles the kitchen island, walking past Sarah. “No, nope, absolutely not. I’m done with that life, Sarah. I have a family to think about now. I have a husband! And two kids!”

Sarah follows her sister to the living room. “Come on, Alison. You know you never really give up the con life. Think about how much fun it’ll be to have the gang back together again.”

“Sarah, no. I can’t this time. You’ll be fine without me! Just have Helena take over my job.”

“I don’t think Helena knows how to bedazzle floorplans.”

A yellow school bus pulls up to the curb in front of the Hendrix’s residence. Alison looks through the blinds and gasps.

“Fiddlesticks! Sarah, hide.” She ushers Sarah to a closet and pushes her sister in.

“Hey!” Sarah protests.

“Don’t make a sound,” Alison warns.

Sarah stands with her ear to the door. She listens as Alison opens the front door and greets her children. They all walk past the closet into the kitchen, where Alison has prepared their after school snacks. Sarah waits a little while longer until the closet door swings open.

Alison speaks in a hushed voice. “Garage, now.”

The two of them sneak off and once they’re in the garage, Alison shuts the door silently behind them.

Sarah smirks and crosses her arms over her chest. “You play a pretty good housewife.”

Alison scoffs. “I’m not playing anything. These kids are my life now, Sarah. And Donnie… well, Donnie tries.”

“Okay, look Alison, it’s one job. Last one, I swear. It’s for Cosima.”

Alison looks taken aback. “Cosima? What do you mean?”

Sarah smiles internally; she’s got Alison right where she wants her.

“You know how she’s been sick and nothing seems to be working? I talked to some people while in prison and they got me in touch with someone who used to work for some place called the DYAD Institute. Supposedly, they deal with all sorts of rare diseases and Cosima’s not the only one who’s sick. They’ve been working on a cure.”

Alison mulls over what Sarah just told her. “So, what, you want to just waltz into this place and demand they heal Cosima?”

Sarah shrugs. “Something like that. Everyone’s meeting at my place tomorrow afternoon. We could really use your help, Ali. I’ll even let you scrapbook it.”

Alison’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree and she squeals in excitement.

Sarah turns to leave and walks out the garage. As she passes the car, she yells over her shoulder, “See you tomorrow, yeah? Nice minivan, by the way.”

Alison’s smile fades and she violently hits the button to close the garage.

* * *

The next day, Sarah wakes up once the sun hits her eyes. She’s been woken up at six in the morning every morning for the past five years, so her internal clock is used to it. She climbs out of bed and starts a pot of coffee. She looks at Cosima, still snoring away on the couch. Sarah had insisted that she stay the night, since her place was well over an hour away.

Since she has some time to kill, Sarah gets dressed and heads out to buy some groceries. The market Sarah goes to is about a block away. As she makes her way there, she runs into some familiar faces, but manages to avoid them like the plague. She walks around, grabbing some essentials, and passes some flowers on the way to the registers. She picks a bouquet from the various colorful bunches before checking out.

She takes a detour on the way back to her loft to stop at the cemetery. Sarah sets down her bags of groceries and takes the flowers out. She takes the cup over to one of the faucets and fills it up. When she returns, she gently places the flowers in the water and lays it down in front of the headstone.

_Beth Childs._

“Hey, sis, I made it through prison in one piece. I wish you could’ve seen the look on the guards’ faces when they found out I got out due to good behavior,” Sarah smiles to herself. “Learned everything from you, though. You got me through all of this.”

Sarah swipes a tear from her cheek and takes a deep breath. Her sister Beth had passed away while Sarah was in prison and she wasn’t allowed to go to the funeral. Cosima came to visit her to tell her what it was like and who was there. She still couldn’t forgive herself for not being there.

“I got one last job to do. For Cosima. We gotta protect our own, yeah?” Sarah lays a hand on top of the headstone. “I miss you so much, Beth. I’ll make this right, I promise.”

Sarah picks up her bags and leaves the cemetery. She heads back to her loft and when she gets there, Cosima is sitting at the breakfast bar and having a cup of coffee.

“Morning. I went out to get some food.” Sarah begins putting things away. “And, uh, I also went to visit Beth.”

Cosima nods solemnly. “Yeah. I would have gone with you if you’d asked.”

Sarah shakes her head. “Nah, I needed to go alone.” She continues putting things away silently until Cosima breaks the silence.

“She never blamed you, you know. She hated the fact that you got caught and she didn’t.”

Sarah holds a bag of pasta in her hand and grips it hard and feels it crack. “I should have been there for her, for you, for everyone.”

Cosima sighs. “There’s nothing that you could’ve done. It was just a job with bad intel. Beth did everything right and got caught in the crossfire.”

Sarah shakes her head. “Still. I could have done something, rather than rotting in a jail cell.”

Cosima reaches across the counter and grabs her sister’s hand, squeezing tightly. “Hey, you’re here now. You’ve developed this elaborate plan. We—“ She stops abruptly and starts coughing. Sarah grabs a dish towel and hands it to her. Cosima takes it and coughs into it.

“I will get you well, I promise.”

Cosima smiles weakly.

The two spend the rest of the morning organizing the loft and setting things up for the rest of their guests. Sarah wheels out her whiteboard while Cosima hangs the DYAD floorplans on the wall. There’s a knock on the door and Sarah walks over to open it.

A thin man bursts through the door. “Welcome back, darling!” He kisses both of Sarah’s cheeks.  A woman with curly blonde hair, another woman with straight blonde hair, and Alison walk in after him.

“MK requested to meet remotely, as usual,” the man says.

“Hey, Felix, glad you could make it.” Sarah says.

Cosima takes out her laptop and opens the game Minecraft. Soon after, the screen switches to the image of a person wearing a sheep mask.

“Hello, everyone.”

“Hey, MK, we’ll get started in a second,” Cosima says.

“Look at this place. It’s so… quaint. Do you have any alcohol?” one of the blonde women asks.

Sarah points over to the kitchen. “Hi to you, too, Krystal. I think I have some five-year-old vodka in the freezer.”

“Hello, sestra. Glad you are not dead,” the curly-haired blonde, Helena, says as she walks straight to the kitchen to raid the fridge.

“Likewise, meathead,” Sarah answers.

Everyone gets settled in the living room, sitting in a semi-circle around the white board. Cosima sets up a projector and connects her laptop to it. Alison hands out color-coded folders to each of them and they send MK the information digitally.

“Okay, everyone, our mark is the DYAD Institute, particularly this woman.”

Cosima clicks through the slides. She lands on a photo of a beautiful blonde woman’s headshot. She feels her pulse start to race.

“Delphine Cormier. She’s head of the immunology department and in charge of overseeing the division that is creating and perfecting the cure that will make Cosima better. She, along with head of DYAD, Rachel Duncan, will be at a gala next month. Rumor has it, they’re going to bring samples of the cure to prove they’re making progress. Our job is going to be to steal those samples and Cosima will be able to synthesize it and replicate it at her lab. Then, any money we get from a patent will be split between all of us.

“Everyone is going to have a specific job to do. MK, you’re obviously the techie, helping us with security and being our eyes and ears. Fee, you’re making a fake cure and you’ll make the switch at the gala. Cosima will be getting close to Dr. Cormier, posing as a scientist and being our inside man, and I’ll take care of Rachel. Krystal, you’re going to be dressing Cosima and I, so we look like we fit in at the gala. Alison, you’re the driver, and Helena, you’re our muscle in case anything goes wrong. I’m sure they’ll have heavy security around, so we may need you.

Helena takes a large bowie knife out of her jacket pocket and twirls it around. “I am ready.” She then takes out a jam sandwich out of her other pocket and starts eating it.

“Our main objective is going to be to steal the cure, but if that doesn’t work out, Plan B is going to be to bring Dr. Cormier back here until she tells us how to recreate it.”

“Oh, great, adding kidnapping to our rap sheet,” Alison quips.

Cosima stands up and pulls Sarah aside. “Rachel Duncan? Seriously? You always said not to make cons personal. That was yours and Beth’s number one rule.”

“Yeah, well, Beth isn’t here. And, it is personal. They have a way to cure you and I’m going to get it.”

Cosima whispers harshly, “If the rest of them find out Rachel’s the one who got Beth killed and got you thrown in jail, this all falls apart.”

“Then they’d better not find out,” Sarah warns. “Look, Cos, I said this is going to be the last one and I mean it. After this, I’m done. I’ll go buy an island to live on with Kira, or something.”

Cosima sighs. She knows her sister means well, but she’s always been reckless and makes emotional decisions. They finish up their meeting and start working through the plan.

MK hacks into the security system to locate all of the alarms and cameras, and to find the most effective escape route. Krystal begins designing outfits for Cosima and Sarah. Felix starts creating a replica cure while Helena plots how she’s going to kill each security guard.

Alison bedazzles.

Cosima looks at her laptop and stares at the photo of Delphine. She can do this. It’s just another mark. A really, really pretty mark. She shuts the cover and stands up. There’s no reason for her to feel this jittery. It’s not like she hasn’t done this before. Sarah calls her a chameleon, because she’s so good at blending into different scenarios. This should be the same as any other job she’s done.

But something’s different and she doesn’t know why. There’s an aching feeling in the pit of her stomach and things feel off. Cosima swallows down her fear and begins working. She has to research her new persona and get it down pat before she infiltrates DYAD.

She’s got this. 


	2. Chapter 2

Cosima and Sarah stand in front of full-length mirrors, looking incredibly uncomfortable in their tight gala dresses that Krystal designed for them.

“It’s a little tight,” Cosima says while trying to pull the dress down at her hips and give them some room.

“It’s meant to be tight, silly,” Krystal answers. She hikes the dress back up to where it was before and adds jewelry to Cosima’s ensemble. “I need do something with… this,” Krystal says while circling her hand around Cosima’s dreadlocks.

“I’m not taking them out,” Cosima replies sternly.

“Fine, fine!” Krystal says, throwing her hands up. She brushes past Sarah, mumbling, “I can’t work under these conditions.”

Cosima looks at her watch. “Shit, I’m late.” She has an appointment with Delphine, but it’s more of a job interview. MK was able to forge an application and slide it in with the other accepted applications. They’re meant to meet up at a local coffee shop. Cosima tears the dress off and puts on her own clothes. She packs up her laptop and meets up with Sarah, who also changed out of her dress, before leaving.

“You ready?” Sarah asks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. This isn’t my first interview,” Cosima replies.

“All right. Helena and I will drive you there and we’ll wait for you down the block.”

The three of them pile into the car and Cosima feels a little silly sitting in the back, like she’s being chauffeured to her first day of school. They arrive nearby and Cosima climbs out. She walks toward the coffee shop and peers through the window.

She spots a head of lightly curled blonde hair sitting at a table. That must be her. Cosima takes a deep breath and walks through the door. She walks up gracefully to the table where Delphine is sitting.

“Dr. Cormier?”

The blonde woman looks up briefly and then back down at papers on the table. “Cosima, I presume.”

Cosima smiles nervously. “Yes, that’s me.”

Delphine gestures toward the empty chair. “Have a seat.”

Cosima sits and a waitress walks up with a pad of paper and pen in hand. “Can I get you anything, sweetie?”

Cosima scans the menu briefly. “Can I just have a chai tea, please?”

The waitress scribbles something down and nods. “Coming right up.”

Cosima fidgets and rubs her hands together in her lap while she studies the woman across from her. She clears her throat. “I just wanted to, um, thank you for this opportunity. I’ve read up on DYAD’s work recently and there’s a lot of good things you guys are doing.”

Without looking up, Delphine flips through some papers in front of her. She pulls a stack of papers out of the pile. The blonde examines it and then looks at Cosima for the first time. She pauses briefly and Cosima could swear she saw the woman’s face flush.

“You have a very extensive résumé,” Delphine says, her French accent making her words slide smoothly and effortlessly out of her mouth.

Cosima ducks her head. She wonders what MK put on there.

Delphine continues, “I see you have some experience with evolutionary development. Tell me a little about that.”

Cosima freezes. It’s been years since she’s even thought about evo-devo. She glances out of the window and sees Helena squatting next to a dog, barking and staring through the window. Sarah is standing next to her. She points at Delphine and forms the shape of a heart with her hands.

Cosima does her best to ignore them and brings her attention back to Delphine. “Uh, well, I started out in general biology at UC Berkeley and then switched to evo-devo for my PhD, because I was fascinated by the idea that we share thousands of genes with fruit flies, but we don’t look like them. Then, with cloning, how having synthesized genomes affect any reproductive capacities and overall health issues.” Cosima then begins coughing and brings a napkin up to her mouth to cover it. “I’m sorry, excuse me.”

Delphine nods. “Impressive. But I see here that you applied directly for the immunology department.”

“Right, well, I’ve seen all of the breakthroughs you’ve been making with stem cell research and I’d love to have the opportunity to work with incredibly capable and remarkable people, such as yourself, Dr. Cormier. I’ve been following your career for a while.”

Now Cosima definitely sees the other woman blush.

“That is very high praise, thank you.”

The two continue discussing Cosima’s work experience while drinking their coffee and tea. Cosima, charming as ever, even makes Delphine laugh a few times. By the time the interview is finished, they’re talking like old friends.

When they’re done, they stand up. Delphine extends her hand and Cosima slots hers in to shake it.

“It was very nice to meet you, Cosima. I should be in touch with you within the next few days.”

Cosima grins widely and thanks Delphine for her time and consideration. She walks out of the coffee shop, where Helena and Sarah follow.

“Did you get her?” Sarah asks.

“Piece of cake,” Cosima answers and they head back toward the car.

On the way back, Helena demands that they stop for ice cream to celebrate Cosima’s new “science work with pretty blonde”.

Back at the loft, the other sisters (and brother) are hard at work, trying to get everything ready. Cosima barely sits down when she receives a phone call. The number is blocked, but she answers it, anyway. 

“Hello?”

“Cosima? This is Delphine Cormier.”

Cosima’s stomach flips over at the sound of Delphine’s voice. She stands up and rushes to the balcony for more privacy.

“Delphine, hi! Um, this was unexpected.”

“Yes, well, I spoke with my superior and we discussed your interview. She was also very impressed by your prior knowledge and experience and she advised me to offer you a position with DYAD. Are you interested?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Cosima answers way too quickly. “I mean, it would be an honor to work with yourself and Ms. Duncan.”

Cosima can feel Delphine smiling on the other side of the phone.

“Great, then I will see you on Monday at 8:00am sharp.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll totes be there!” Cosima replies, enthusiastically. She hears the other line click and groans. She might as well have used finger guns. She hears the balcony door open behind her.

“Who was that?” Sarah inquires.

“It was Delphine; I got the job.”

Sarah raises an eyebrow. “They let you know so quickly?”

Cosima gives a small shrug and nods. “I guess I impressed her.”

Sarah continues, “This may be easier than I thought. Keep at it, yeah? Get Delphine to trust you and we’ll have the cure in no time.”

Alison bursts through the balcony door with a panicked look on her face. Cosima and Sarah stare at her blankly.

“I am out of glue sticks. I _need_ glue sticks if I’m going to scrapbook!” She runs back inside, leaving Cosima and Sarah. The two burst into laughter and walk back inside.

Cosima heads home to prepare for her first day on the job, as it were. The rest of the siblings head to their own homes, as well, to continue their work and finish planning. They have four weeks until the gala.

* * *

When Monday rolls around, Cosima put on clothes she considers business casual, which ends up being a skirt and black tights with a sweater. She gets to the DYAD Institute a few minutes early. She looks at the intimidatingly large building in front of her. The front doors slide open as Cosima makes her way through the lobby. Delphine and Rachel Duncan are standing there, waiting for her.

The lump in Cosima’s throat grows larger when she sees Rachel. The woman looks like she could snap anyone like a twig with just a look.

Delphine takes a couple steps forward to meet Cosima. She smiles gently. “Welcome, Cosima. This, I’m sure you know, is Rachel Duncan.”

“Oh, yes of course. It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Duncan.” Cosima holds out a stiff hand.

Rachel looks at it for a second and then daintily shakes it. “Charmed. Dr. Cormier will show you to your lab. I will be in meetings all day, so take this time to get acquainted.” She turns to leave and the clicks of her heels echo throughout the lobby.

“She seems fun,” Cosima jokes. “I’ll bet she’s a riot at company parties.”

Delphine lets out a stifled laugh. “She does take some getting used to. Follow me, I’ll show you to your lab.”

They walk toward the elevator and walk through the doors. Delphine pushes the button for the 8th floor. Cosima rests on the bar attached to the elevator wall.

“So, do you like working here?” Cosima asks. She internally kicks herself for asking such a banal question.

Delphine turns to face her. “It has its benefits. There’s a lot of cutting-edge technology to take advantage of here and I’ve been able to do a lot of good work in my field.”

“Right. Like the cure for the mysterious upper respiratory illness that’s been found in some people?”

Delphine looks taken aback. “You know about that?”

Cosima smiles slyly. “I told you I did my homework.”

They reach the 8th floor and exit the elevator. They walk down the hallway and stop at a white door. Delphine swipes her security card and the door clicks open. She walks through it and Cosima audibly gasps. The room is large and filled with equipment she’s only seen in movies.

“This is where you’ll be working. Your desk is over there in the corner. Your security card and ID should be in the drawer.”

Cosima opens the drawer and pulls them out, clipping her ID to the lab coat that’s draped over the chair and sliding the security card behind it.

“And, um, where will you be working?” Cosima inquires.

“I’m down the hall a bit, but I’m sure we’ll see plenty of each other.”

A man with glasses walks in and interrupts them, holding loose papers in his arms.

“Cosima, this is Scott. He’ll be working with you on th—“

“Yeah, nice to meet you. Dr. Cormier, there’s an issue with the…” He pauses and looks at Cosima. “… thing.”

Delphine sighs and then quickly composes herself. “Cosima, there’s some reading material on your desk that you can look at. I’ll be back to check on you after I’ve dealt with this.”

Scott and Delphine leave the room, leaving Cosima alone. Cosima takes this opportunity to look more closely at the stuff in the lab. She looks at the rows of beakers and test tubes, she checks out the 3D printer, then she sits at her desk and picks up the large packet that Delphine left for her.

_Welcome to the DYAD Institute: Rules and Regulations_

Cosima isn’t surprised that the hundreds of pages are a set of rules that Rachel Duncan most likely put together. As she turns to the first page, her phone rings.

“Oi, how’s it going?” Her sister Sarah’s voice comes through the phone.

“Fine, so far. The equipment here is insane. Like, it’s everything I could ever want.”

“Whoa, slow down. You’re only there for the con, yeah?”

“I know that, Sarah. I got to meet Rachel. She’s cool, in a step-on-your-throat dominatrix kind of way.”

Sarah scoffs. “Yeah. And Delphine?”

Cosima feels her face get warm. “She’s here, too. She walked me to the lab and then had to leave to go take care of something.”

“All right, well, good work. Make sure you get invited to the gala.”

“Yep, I got this in the bag.”

Cosima hears the door unlock and she hastily hangs up the phone and acts like she’s reading through the Rules Bible.

Scott walks through the door and up to Cosima. “Hey, sorry about before. There was an incident and if it didn’t get sorted out, Rachel would have skinned me alive.”

Cosima smiles and shrugs. “No sweat. So, what are you working on?”

Scott’s eyes light up, finally getting the opportunity to talk science with someone other than himself. He explains his work to Cosima, who listens intently. Cosima likes Scott immediately; he seems like a genuine guy and actually loves the work he’s doing.

When they take a break for lunch, Scott tells Cosima that he’ll be in the break room down the hall. Cosima says she’ll join him in a minute, but wants to stop by Delphine’s office first. After leaving her lab, Cosima walks to the blonde’s office and knocks on the door quietly, but receives no response. She presses her ear to the door and hears voices inside. She can’t quite make out what they’re saying, but it doesn’t sound good. The door is pulled open and Cosima is met with the steel gaze of Rachel Duncan.

“Ms. Niehaus.”

Cosima straightens up and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Ms. Duncan.”

Rachel walks past her and Cosima peeks her head through the door. “Uh, hi. I just came by to say that the lab is, like, totes awesome. Thanks again for this opportunity.”

Delphine looks up and smiles. “Come in, come in.”

Cosima walks in and looks around. Delphine’s office is impressive. It has a leather couch in the middle and large bookshelves against the wall, filled with science texts and journals. She also has a minibar on the far left and windows that span from one side of the wall to the other.

“Whoa,” Cosima gawks. She flops onto the couch and starts sorting through the various science magazines on the coffee table.

Delphine walks over to the bar and pours a couple of drinks. She sits next to Cosima and offers one of the glasses to her.

Cosima’s eyes widen. “We’re allowed to drink during work hours?”

Delphine chuckles. “In moderation. Plus, I don’t like drinking alone.”

Cosima sips the alcohol and it burns its way down her throat. “This is the best job, ever.”

She’s so engrossed by Delphine sitting in such close proximity to her, as well as the lavishness of the office that she completely forgot she was supposed to meet for Scott for lunch.

“Oh, shoot, I forgot I was supposed to go to the break room for lunch with Scott. Do you want to join us?” Cosima asks hopefully while setting the glass on the table and standing up.

“Thank you, but I have a lot of work I need to get done.”

Cosima nods in understanding. “Oh yeah, of course. You have a cure to perfect. Okay, well, I’ll see you later, Dr. Cormier.”

Delphine stands up, as well. “Please, call me Delphine. Dr. Cormier is so…” Her voices trails off in thought.

“Rachel Duncan-esque?” Cosima answers cheekily.

Delphine laughs. “Yes, exactly.”

Cosima takes her leave and feels Delphine’s eyes on her the whole way out. She heads to the break room, where Scott is already sitting down with a tray of food. She sits down and tells Scott where she was. He doesn’t believe Cosima when she tells him that she just walked right into Dr. Cormier’s office for no reason. He’s never felt comfortable enough walking in there without a specific reason. Cosima shrugs and says it’s not a big deal. She finishes Scott’s french fries and they head back to the lab.

At the end of the day, Cosima says goodbye to Scott and heads down to the elevator. She sees Delphine standing in front of it, waiting for it to arrive.

“Hey boss,” she says, announcing herself.

Delphine looks over and smiles warmly. “Hello, Cosima. How was your first day?”

“Not too bad. I’m excited to actually start doing some science.” Her phone buzzes, but she ignores it.

“That’s good. I think I may have a project for you to work on soon.” Cosima’s phone buzzes again.

“I can’t wait,” Cosima smiles widely. Her phone buzzes once more. Cosima sighs and excuses herself. She looks at the phone and Sarah has been texting. She asks where Cosima is and if she’s gotten her invite to the gala yet. She quickly texts back and walks into the elevator when it arrives.

The silence between herself and Delphine is uncomfortable and thick, so Cosima tries to cut through it. 

“So, Scott told me there’s this big gala happening next month.”

“Yes, it’s our annual gala showcase where we show the public all of our recent research.”

“Sounds like fun.”

Delphine looks at Cosima inquisitively. The elevator dings and the doors open. The both of them walk out toward the front entrance.

Delphine pauses. “Cosima, why don’t you come with me to the gala?”

Cosima blinks. “Like, _with you_ with you?”

“Well, as an employee of DYAD. It would be a good way for you to see what else we do here.”

Cosima deflates a little. “Oh, yeah. Sounds rad.”

They bid each other goodnight and Cosima drives the long way home. She shouldn’t be as upset as she is. Delphine is her mark and nothing more. Her goal is to get close enough to her to get the gala invite and then the cure. She isn’t really Delphine’s employee and Delphine was just being polite when she invited Cosima to the gala. It’s just business.

Still, Cosima felt something deep within the pit of her stomach - a longing.

It was going to be a long month.


	3. Chapter 3

The next couple of weeks are spent planning and preparing. MK begins hacking into the mainframe of the building at the institute where the gala was taking place. Sarah and Helena scope the place out, while Alison and Krystal continue doing whatever it is that they do during the day. No one asks questions.

Delphine begins trusting Cosima more and they find themselves spending a lot more time together at DYAD. They walk the halls together and Delphine always has a coffee ready in hand for the both of them every morning. Soon, Cosima basically has free reign to go anywhere within DYAD. She finds out where the cure was being held and sneaks in there.

The cure is held in a secure vault, but Cosima is able to take photos of it, so Felix can create an exact replica. They are held in two test tubes in a large glass cylinder and kept in a refrigerated box that requires specific fingerprints to open it.

As the gala nears, Cosima’s nerves start getting the better of her. Krystal puts the finishing touches on her dress and, much to Cosima’s dismay, kept it as tight as it was before. Krystal said she has to “show off that Beyoncé booty.” Sarah was vague about how she was going to deal with Rachel and it worried Cosima. Sarah has a lot of trouble keeping a cool head once she had a thirst for vengeance and knowing Rachel was responsible for Beth’s death, it lit a fire under her sister.

But, she couldn’t worry about that right now. She had her own job to do. She continues working with Delphine at DYAD, getting to know her, getting closer. One day, while Cosima is working in Delphine’s office, she has a coughing fit. Delphine rushes over and hands her a towel. She notices the blood that’s splattered all over the white towel and frowns.

“Cosima, you’re sick.”

Cosima shakes her head. “It’s... it’s nothing.”

Delphine takes a stethoscope out of her desk drawer and listens to Cosima’s breath sounds. It doesn’t sound good and Delphine puts her hands on Cosima’s knees.

“This is serious. Let me talk to Rachel about starting a round of treatment for you.”

Cosima looks away, wracked with guilt, because they’re planning on stealing the cure right from under their noses, anyway.

“Honestly, don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay.”

Delphine shakes her head. “Non, I insist. I’ll go right now.” She stands up and leaves the office. Cosima quickly takes out her phone and texts Sarah, telling her that she may be getting the cure after all and they won’t have to steal it.

Sarah replies, saying that they’re too far in and once they have they cure, they can have it mass distributed themselves, rather than have power and money hungry Rachel doing it. Plus, they’ll all be rich.

Cosima sighs and sits alone in the empty office, trying to figure out what to do. A few minutes later, Delphine walks back in, looking very upset. She starts pacing around the room, swearing in French.

“Delphine?” Cosima calls out. “What’s wrong?”

Delphine stops pacing and looks at Cosima with regret. “Rachel said no. She said there’s already a waitlist for her rich friends and giving you the treatment first would look bad. I’m so sorry.” She covers her mouth to stifle a sob.

Cosima stands up and grips Delphine’s arms, holding her steady.

“Hey, it’s okay. You tried, right?”

Delphine nods solemnly, tears staining her cheeks. She lowers her eyes to meet Cosima’s. Cosima stares back and her eyes are fixated on Delphine’s lips. She brings a hand up to Delphine’s cheek and strokes it gently. Her heart begins to race and she decides to go for it when Delphine doesn’t move out of her grip. When she feels soft lips against her own, Cosima keeps the kiss chaste until she feels Delphine stiffen and pull away.

Realizing she completely misread the situation, Cosima panics. “I’m sorry, that was completely inappropriate.”

Delphine takes a step back. “It’s... it’s okay.”

Cosima shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry, it shouldn’t have happened. It was a mistake.”

Cosima feels an ache in her chest when she says the word “mistake.” Delphine probably regretted the kiss; she’s most likely never kissed a coworker, let alone a woman, before.

“Well, I should probably go,” Cosima says, gathering her laptop and some loose papers. “I’m sure Scott is trying to burn the lab down, or something.”

Delphine nods, not making eye contact with Cosima. As Cosima leaves, she takes one more look back at Delphine, who is now sitting at her desk, the chair facing away from the door. She walks down the hallway, toward her lab, feeling confused and embarrassed. She holds back tears that are threatening to emerge.

The next few days at DYAD are fairly awkward. Whenever she passes Delphine, she doesn’t make eye contact with her and just looks straight ahead. During meetings, Delphine looks at everyone but her. The gala is coming up and, while this is helping Cosima separate her feelings from the con job, it’s still painful to know that Delphine no longer wants anything to do with her.

She meets up with Sarah and the others after work while they go through the final planning stages. Cosima overhears people talking in the break room and finds out that Delphine is bringing a plus one with her to the gala - a man named Paul Dierden. MK sends them his photo, and Cosima instantly hates his pointy jaw and chiseled muscles. He’s ex-military, well-decorated, seems to be part of some sort of secret organization that has much of its information redacted from public record.

Cosima wonders if their kiss had anything to do with Delphine’s decision to take someone else to the gala, or if it had already been planned. In any case, it hardens Cosima and she makes sure she’s on task for the remainder of the month.

“How are we looking?” Sarah asks MK through Cosima’s laptop.

“I have shifted the cameras near the bathrooms, so there is a blind spot. Once you are in the building, I will show you where it is exactly. I have also planned an escape route for you and will send that through. Alarms will not sound if you go through the marked doors.”

“Perfect,” Sarah replies. “Fee, you’re up.”

Felix pulls out a glass cylinder that looks identical to the one Cosima sent photos of. “I present to you all, one fake cure. They won’t be able to tell the difference until they check the test tubes, which are just filled with water.”

“Krystal? The dresses are finished?”

“Of course, and they look fab, by the way.”

“Okay, Helena, we may need you to deal with this Paul guy. No killing, just incapacitating.”

“I make no promises,” Helena says, tilting her head to the side, stuffing a chocolate muffin in her mouth.

Sarah stands up. “All right, I think that’s everything.” A throat clears from the side of the room. Sarah looks over and Alison is raising her hand. She sighs. “Yes, Alison?”

“Well, gang, as you all know, I have been working on the scrapbook and I would like to have at least one group photo to add.”

Everyone audibly groans. After they take their photo, Sarah pulls Cosima aside.

“Hey, you’re still up for this, yeah?”

Cosima nods. “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Sarah furrows her brow. “Cos, I know you. I saw how upset you got when MK told you the news about Paul. You’re getting too close to Delphine, aren’t you?”

Cosima knows that Sarah already knows the answer and shifts uncomfortably. She shrugs. “No, she means nothing to me. She’s just another mark.”

“If you’re not comfortable, I can take over for you, you know,” Sarah offers.

Cosima shakes her head, her pride getting the best of her. “No way, I got this. I’ll see it through”

Sarah nods and pats Cosima on the shoulder.

Cosima pulls out her phone in futile hope that Delphine has reached out to her, but there are no messages and no missed calls. She has half a mind to text Delphine, but decides against it. It’s better this way. The more she detaches, the easier this job will be. Still, she can’t shake the feeling that she messed up.

While everyone is asleep, she opens her laptop and asks MK to show her the camera in Delphine’s office. When it appears on her screen, she’s surprised to see that Delphine is still at work, but she notices another figure.

It’s Paul.

Cosima watches closely and sees Paul slide up behind Delphine, his hands on her hips and his face nuzzled in the back of her neck. Cosima feels her blood begin to boil. Delphine turns to face Paul and wraps a hand behind his head. They begin to kiss and Paul lifts Delphine onto the desk, clearing an area on top of it. Cosima slams her laptop shut and feels her stomach knot up; she feels nauseous.

If this is how Delphine wants to play it, so be it. Cosima no longer feels remorse, only anger. She vows to carry out her job and steal Delphine’s cure, a cure that could make or break her career. Delphine is a mark; she means nothing to Cosima - at least that’s what Cosima keeps telling herself.

A mark, nothing more.


	4. Chapter 4

Leading up to the gala, Cosima becomes colder and Scott notices. He tries to get her to talk about it, but she won’t. All she tells him is that some people are more trouble than they’re worth. As they’re working on a project that was given to them a week prior, Delphine walks into the lab and requests to speak with Cosima privately. Cosima begrudgingly stands and follows Delphine to her large office.

When they arrive, Delphine flips a switch that causes all of the clear walls to become opaque. Cosima raises and eyebrow and thinks that’s some really cool tech. She turns to face Delphine, who motions toward the couch, so Cosima can sit.

“Would you like a drink?” she asks.

“No, thanks. I gotta keep my head clear if I want to finish your project on time,” Cosima answers, but she also doesn’t want to get too comfortable and let her guard down around Delphine.

Delphine makes her way back to the couch with a glass and sits next to Cosima. She takes a sip and sets the glass down on the table.

“Cosima, I wanted to apologize for how I’ve been acting lately.”

Cosima waves at her dismissively. “No, you really don’t have to. I had a moment of weakness. You’re my boss, you’re not gay, and we need to keep things professional.” She’s not sure who she’s trying to convince more, but either way, it’s not really working.

Delphine nods. “Yes, you’re right.” She pauses for a few seconds, before adding, ”But I can’t stop thinking about that kiss.”

Cosima isn’t sure she heard correctly and gives Delphine a puzzled look. Then, she remembers Paul and the anger bubbles up again. “Is that why you’re bringing Paul Dierden to the gala?”

Delphine frowns. “How do you know about...” she pauses and sighs. “Rachel is making me take him. He’s one of our biggest donors and it’s my job to keep him happy.”

Delphine looks visibly upset when she tells Cosima this. She picks up the glass again and finishes it off in one gulp. Cosima feels like an asshole for assuming that Delphine was with Paul willingly, but now that she knows Rachel is behind it, she is convinced that she and Sarah are going to exact their revenge.

“You know,” Cosima says, cutting through the silence, “With your knowledge and experience, you could leave DYAD and head your own research company. I mean, you’re on the brink of developing a cure that could change everything and you don’t even have control over what happens to it or whom it goes to.”

Delphine shakes her head. “I don’t have the money to start my own company, nor do I have enough connections to people who do. Rachel has practically monopolized it with DYAD.”

Cosima sighs. “I can’t tell you how just yet, but I have a plan to make it happen.”

Delphine starts to question Cosima when Cosima waves her arms in front of her face. “Trust me.” Before Delphine can question her any further, Cosima tells her not to worry about anything and leaves the office.

Cosima texts Sarah and tells her there’s a change of plans and she’ll tell her when she gets home.

After work, Cosima goes straight to Sarah’s and when she gets there, Sarah is mulling over the floor plans. She hears Cosima come in and walks over to her.

“So, what’s this about changing plans?”

Cosima takes a deep breath and braces herself for immediate pushback from Sarah. “Okay, just hear me out. Delphine is unhappy about working for Rachel. She’s being forced to take Paul to the gala among... other things. What if we just get Delphine to help us produce the cure? We make her part of the team. Rachel still loses.”

Sarah rubs her temples. “Cos, listen to yourself. We don’t even know Delphine. For all we know, she could be lying to you. We can’t trust her.”

Cosima sighs. She knew Sarah wouldn’t go for it. “Plan B was to bring her in and force her to recreate the cure. If she comes in willingly, isn’t that ideal?”

“Where is this coming from? What, she smiles at you, gives you a little extra attention at work, and all-of-a-sudden, you want to bend over backwards for her?”

Cosima throws her hands up in frustration. “Why are you such a dick all of the time?  You know Beth would have at least considered it.”

Sarah steps into Cosima’s personal space, leaving about an inch between them. “Don’t you dare bring Beth into this. Your hero complex is going to get yourself killed, just like Beth’s got her killed. I’m just trying to keep everyone safe. We look after our own.”

Cosima steps back, not believing what she was hearing. “Now you’re blaming Beth for her own death? Incredible.” She turns to leave the loft and slams the door behind her.

Cosima can’t believe the nerve Sarah has to blame Beth for her own death when she knows very well that it wasn’t her fault. She understands not wanting to trust any outsiders, but Cosima had to believe that Delphine was one of the good guys. She didn’t want to be like Sarah, going through life not trusting anyone but herself. She couldn’t.

* * *

_Beth knelt down behind some boxes in an alleyway. She listens for any instructions that might come through her earpiece, but everything’s quiet._

_She’s trying to clean up the mess that got Sarah arrested. They’d gotten hired by Rachel to con a businessman, who was holding out on a deal that he and Rachel were supposed to settle, but he was getting cold feet. It was Beth and Sarah’s job to make sure he finalized the deal. Beth was never sold on the idea, but Sarah assured her that her plan was foolproof._

_By the time they had arrived at the man’s house, he’d been expecting them and Rachel failed to mention he was part of the Russian mob, who had their hands in almost every policeman’s pocket. Police pulled up right after them; Sarah was arrested, but Beth was able to get away._

_Wanting revenge, Beth confronted Rachel at DYAD, but she was also prepared and had called in her personal security detail._

_Paul Dierden_.

_He was in Rachel’s office, waiting for Beth. He told her to stand down, but she continued to demand to see Rachel. While the two of them were having their shouting match, Beth didn’t see Rachel sneak up behind her. There was a loud bang and Beth felt a heat coming from her chest where she had been shot. She collapsed and Paul dropped her off in front of a hospital, but it was too late._

* * *

It was the day of the gala and all employees at DYAD took half a day off to prepare for it. Cosima is a nervous wreck and hopes to Watson and Crick that it all works out. Sarah gets MK to create a fake identity for her, so she can sneak into the gala beforehand. Felix poses as a waiter, so he can easily make the switch.

Sarah heads toward the bathrooms and asks MK where the blind spot is. She moves around until MK tells her to stop. She remains out of sight until Cosima shows up with Helena and Alison. Cosima steps out of the car and tells Alison and Helena to wait in the parking lot until they hear from them.

She walks up the steps to the front of the main hall, where the gala is taking place. She spots Scott over to the side and walks up to greet him.

“Looking good, Scotty.”

He turns to face her and his eyes widen like saucers. “Oh thanks, uh, you too.”

She asks if he’s seen Delphine yet and he tells her they’re already inside. They decide to walk in together. Cosima sees Delphine standing with Paul and it makes her sick to her stomach when she remembers what she saw on the camera feed.

Cosima swallows her pride and walks up to them.

“Hey, Delphine, you look... amazing.”

Delphine ducks her head. “Thank you, Cosima. You look very nice, as well.” She turns her attention over to Paul. “I don’t think you two have officially met. This is Paul Dierden, one of our generous donors.”

Paul has had his filthy hand on Delphine’s lower back the entire time they’ve been talking and only removes it to offer a handshake. Cosima bites down her disgust and shakes his hand.

“Shall we sit?” Delphine suggests. All four of them head to their table and find their seats. Delphine sits between Paul and Cosima and Scott is on Cosima’s other side.

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches Paul whispering something to Delphine and it just makes her seethe.

Finally, the waiters begin to bring out plates of food. She sees Felix and gives him a nod. He nods back and begins laying down plates at the table. Before he places Paul’s plate down, Cosima sees him empty a small vial into his soup – a gift.

After everyone starts eating, Cosima keeps stealing glances at Paul. He’s slowed down and actually looks quite uncomfortable. He lurches forward as if to vomit, but is able to hold it in. He excuses himself and rushes off toward the restrooms.

Now it’s Cosima’s turn.

“I actually think I need to use the restroom, too. Delphine, would you come with me?”

Delphine looks over to Cosima, slightly confused, but accepts. They apologize to Scott for leaving him alone and head toward the restroom. Sarah is still standing in the blind spot and watches the two of them pass by.

Cosima checks to see if anyone else is in the stalls, but it’s empty. She stealthily locks the door behind them. Delphine looks at herself in the large mirror, and Cosima walks up behind her.

“Don’t you have to use the restroom?” Delphine asks her.

Cosima closes the distance between them. “Actually, I kind of just wanted to get you alone. To talk.”

Delphine turns around. “Talk about what?”

Cosima sighs. She didn’t really think this through; she just wanted Paul out of the picture and to be able to have time with Delphine.

“Before, when you said you couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss, did you mean, like, not in a bad way?”

Delphine pauses and thinks back to the conversation that Cosima is referring to. Remembering, her face flushes slightly. “Oh, well, I suppose not, but I’ve never been with a woman before. I’ve never examined all parts of my sexuality that way, so I guess it’s completely possible for me to be attracted to another woman.”

“And... are you attracted to me?” Cosima inquires.

Delphine gives off a small smile. “I thought that was obvious.”

“What about Paul?”

Delphine’s smile turns to disgust. “That’s just business. It’s nothing.”

Cosima resists the urge to do a celebratory fist pump. She has to remind herself that she still has a job to do and if she doesn’t get it done, the whole night is a waste.

Delphine is leaning against the sink and Cosima is trying to figure out her next move. She hears her sister whispering in her earpiece to hurry up and security is starting to look antsy.

Cosima shoots forward and pulls Delphine to her, crashing their lips together. It’s starts out stiff, but Delphine relaxes in Cosima’s grip and wraps her arms around Cosima’s back.

The feeling of skin touching skin energizes them and Cosima pushes Delphine against the restroom wall. She moves her mouth to Delphine’s neck and kisses down its length, eliciting soft moans from the blonde.

Felix realizes what’s happening and rips his earpiece out.

Cosima grabs Delphine’s hands and raises them above her head. Without giving herself away, Cosima takes one of her rings and slides it across Delphine’s thumb, copying an image of her thumbprint. She does the same to the other thumb.

She hears Sarah arguing with some security guards outside the restroom, but it sounds like she’s got it covered.

Before she knows it, Cosima is reaching down for the hem of Delphine’s dress and as she starts to lift it, she feels hands on her wrists stopping her.

Cosima is shaken from her haze and realizes that she’s moving way too fast.

“I... I’m sorry. I got carried away.” She takes a step back.

Delphine shakes her head. “It’s just that I’ve never been with a woman _like that_ and I think it should be special.”

Cosima scoffs. “Like, not in a bathroom.”

Delphine chuckles. “Right.”

They’re interrupted by a knock on the door. “Dr. Cormier? Rachel Duncan is looking for you.”

Delphine’s smile fades and she flattens her dress down. She takes a quick look at herself in the mirror and tells Cosima to wait a minute before she leaves.

Cosima moves out of sight and waits for Delphine to exit the restroom. Through the earpiece, Sarah tells her to sit tight while Helena works on the distraction, so they can make their escape without being seen by the cameras.

Felix scans the hall and searches for the cure. He spots it in the center of the room. It’s in the cylinder container that he copied. Now all he has to do is wait for Helena to do her thing and he’ll be able to steal it during all of the mayhem.

In no more than a couple minutes, the fire alarm starts blaring. The guests start looking around in a panic and it doesn’t take long before they’re running for the exits. Cosima takes this opportunity to leave the restroom and blend in with the other guests and Felix rushes over to the cure. He’s able to take it while security is busy ushering everyone outside.

Sarah asks MK if she has eyes on Rachel and MK says that she’s headed toward her office with Delphine and Paul.

Sarah sneaks her way through the empty corridors and gets to Rachel’s office. She remains out of sight and listens in.

“Dr. Cormier, I expected more from you. This new hire, Cosima Niehaus, is the sister of Sarah Manning and Beth Childs. Do you know who they are?”

“No, should I?”

Sarah peeks into the office. Rachel is standing over a table, spreading out photos. Paul is standing behind Delphine, grabbing her arm, so she can’t leave.

“Don’t play coy. They’re here to steal _your_ cure. You mean to tell me you had no idea about this?”

Delphine shrugs. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Rachel then slides a photo across the table. It’s a photo of Delphine and Cosima in the bathroom from earlier. Delphine’s eyes widen. Paul takes a step back and draws his gun, pointing it at Delphine. Sarah checks the office next door for any kind of weapon and finds a letter opener.

“It’s a pity that we’ll be losing our best immunologist. Consider this your resignation. Goodbye, Dr. Cormier.”

Rachel turns to leave and as she exits the office, Sarah lunges at her and grabs Rachel by the neck, holding the letter opener up.

“Drop the gun,” Sarah commands. Paul doesn’t budge and switches his attention to Sarah.

“Sarah Manning,” Rachel drawls. “I see you survived prison. Pity about your sister.”

Sarah pushes the tip of the letter opener deeper into Rachel’s neck and hisses. “Shut up. You, Paul. You the one who shot Beth? You glorified security guard piece of shit.”

Paul shakes his head. “Wasn’t me. I was trying to get her to stand down.”

Sarah is about to argue when Rachel elbows her in the ribs and pushes off of her. Rachel grabs Paul’s gun out of his hands and points it straight at Sarah, who holds her hands up and freezes. Rachel cocks the gun and smiles menacingly.

“At last, I get to finish what I started.”

The lights go out suddenly and there’s a commotion. It’s pitch black, the only light coming from computer screens and the gunshots that are firing aimlessly. There’s shouting and then silence. A phone’s flashlight turns on and Sarah looks around. Both Rachel and Paul are lying unconscious, Delphine is huddled behind the desk and Helena is standing, slightly hunched, over the bodies. Sarah rushes to pick up the gun and points it at Rachel’s still body.

This is what it’s all led up to. Sarah can finally exact her revenge on the person who killed her sister and got her thrown in jail. Her lip quivers and she has her hand on the trigger, about to squeeze.

“Sestra,” Helena says from the side of the room. “Beth would not want you to go back to jail.”

Sarah hesitates for a moment and lowers the gun, and begins to sob. Helena moves stiffly pat her sister on the shoulder, then they leave through the emergency exit, just as the police arrive in the office.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days are spent recovering. Everyone goes back to their respective homes and they agree to reconvene that weekend. Felix was able to escape with the cure and handed it off to Cosima, who began working on mass producing it. Alison went back to her family, Krystal went back to her fashion designer job, and MK and Helena return to their reclusive lives.

Sarah sits on her breakfast bar and has the TV on in the background. Her ears perk up when she hears Rachel Duncan’s name. She appears on the screen; she’s being led to a police car in handcuffs and Paul trails behind her, also in cuffs.

Rachel is arrested for conspiracy and attempted murder. She is also charged for Beth’s murder after Paul throws her under the bus. Sarah is satisfied with the outcome of the con, even if she was never exonerated. 

On the day that they’re all supposed to meet, Cosima packs up her things and gets ready to leave for Sarah’s. She’s been able to break down the cure to its bare bones parts and started the process of mass production. When she arrives at Sarah’s she’s the last one there. Cosima opens the door and everyone looks up. She grins sheepishly and gives a little wave. Someone stands from the couch and Cosima is convinced she’s dreaming. She recognizes the tall stature and blonde hair.

“Delphine?”

Delphine walks over to her and stops in front of her. Cosima looks over at Sarah, questioningly, almost angrily. “What is going on?”

“Can we talk privately?” Delphine asks, apologetically.

Cosima lets out a harsh breath and walks out to the balcony without a word. Delphine follows close behind. Cosima faces Delphine with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She feels lied to and while there may be a perfectly good explanation for all of this, the sting is still there.

“Well?” Cosima says, waiting to hear what Delphine has to say.

Delphine shifts uncomfortably. She takes a deep breath and looks Cosima in the eye. “I had suspicions that you weren’t at DYAD just for the job. I put two and two together when I figured out you were sick and had such an interest in the cure. So, I did some digging on my own and found out that you were Sarah Manning’s sister. I’d overheard Rachel talking about her one day and I found out what happened to Beth. I never told Rachel any of this, just so you know.

“But I approached Sarah, because I was worried about you and your health. She agreed to let me get involved in bringing Rachel and DYAD down. In exchange for letting you all have access to the cure, I would then become the head of DYAD and I would be able to distribute our cures to everyone, not just the highest bidder.”

Cosima processes what Delphine is saying. She’s quiet for a while. “And Paul? Is he really just business?”

Delphine looks regretful when she explains. “Paul was meant to be the fall guy for the cure going missing. We had our… ‘relationship,’ and I snuck in Felix’s copy of the cure into his apartment, rather than switch it at the gala. No one will realize it’s fake until they test it and that may take weeks. The idea is for DYAD to provide a reward for the return of the real cure, which is where you guys come in. The reward will pay you all handsomely and I’ll still get to distribute the cure to those who need it on a mass scale.”

Cosima can’t help but feel impressed by the elaborate heist that they all pulled off. She doesn’t want to be angry at Delphine, but there’s a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she can’t shake. She obviously meant well and wanted to cure Cosima, but why the secrecy?

“Are you okay?” Delphine asks, trying to decipher the look on Cosima’s face.

Cosima refuses to make eye contact and worries her bottom lip. “And what about me? Was I a part of your con? Was I a means to an end?”

Delphine shakes her head. “My con? This was never a con for me. My main concern was getting you cured.”

“Why me? You hardly know me.”

Delphine opens her mouth to speak, but pauses. “I’ve come to care for you after these past few weeks, Cosima. Your personality is quite infectious.”

Cosima knew better than to trust what another con artist says and she can consider Delphine one now, thanks to Sarah. It was going to take a while to build up trust again, after being lied to for nearly a month.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do, because I don’t know if I can trust you yet. You let me keep my position at DYAD and we work on the cure, together. We keep our relationship strictly professional. The kisses? Never happened. Both of us were just caught in the moment and had jobs to do. We were each other’s marks. And if, after a while, something happens naturally, then fine.”

Delphine reaches out to grab one of Cosima’s hands. Delphine squeezes it, but Cosima doesn’t squeeze back. She has to keep her composure if this is going to work. Delphine releases her hand and nods.

“All right, that works.”

“Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you on Monday, boss.” Cosima says with a faint smile.

The two of them turn to leave the balcony and see everyone staring at them. The group is sitting in the living room silently, watching them through the balcony window, while Helena sits in one of the chairs, eating from a big bucket of popcorn.

Cosima walks through the door. “Enjoying the show, assholes?”

“I was hoping for a big smooch, or something. Disappointing,” Felix complains.

Cosima picks up a stray pillow and throws it at his head. She walks over to Sarah, who is sitting on a milk crate off to the side. She leans on the wall behind her sister and Sarah turns.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Delphine. I really just wanted everything to work out the way it was going in my head and I didn’t account for you and her.”

Cosima scoffs. “There was nothing even going on. We kissed a couple times and it was my bad.”

Sarah looks at her sister with a raised eyebrow. “Cos, I know you. One kiss and you’re instantly head over heels for someone.”

Cosima punches Sarah’s shoulder, playfully. “Don’t be a dick. I’m still mad at you. Anyway, I told her nothing is happening and we’re going to be coworkers and nothing more, until I can actually trust her. Remember what Beth used to say to us? Don’t fall for your marks, unless you’re prepared to never trust each other ever again.”

Sarah nods. “Yep. Think she would be proud of us?”

Cosima nods. “Mos def. We pulled off something truly amazing and we’re going to help a lot of people.” She drapes her arm around her sister’s shoulder and watches the rest of the group talk and laugh with each other, even Delphine.

Sarah looks at her band of misfits and smiles. It’s the first time she’s felt genuinely content in years. There’s no one to fight and no one to fight for. After they divvy up the reward money, she’s going to buy Kira the biggest ice cream sundae on a secluded beach somewhere. She imagines they’ll all buy their own island at some point and move there, living out their lives together, growing old, remembering the ones they love and those they’ve lost.

Alison begins pouring out champagne into glasses and handing them out to everyone. She taps it with her wedding ring and gets everyone’s attention. They all quiet down and listen.

“Well, everyone. I just wanted to say how great it’s been spending time with you all again and I hope that, and I say this with love, that I don’t see any of you again for a long time.” Everyone laughs and Alison continues, “I’d like to make a toast to the one who started it all. Here’s to Sarah.”

Everyone raises their glass and Sarah stands and shakes her head. “No, let’s toast to the one person who’s responsible for all of us being here - the one who couldn’t be here, who _should_ be here.

“To Beth. We love you and we miss you.”

Everyone toasts, the sound of glasses clinking together echoes throughout the room, each of them knowing that, no matter where they went, what they did, _who_ they did, they would always have each other’s back. They’re family.


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, thanks for taking the time to read this. If you feel so inclined, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 
> 
> This chapter's NSFW.

Three months after the heist, Cosima and Delphine begin transporting the cure to hospitals around the United States. In the next couple of months, they’ll expand to other countries. Cosima has finished a full round of her treatment and has shown vast improvement. Delphine administers her shots and it becomes somewhat of a weekly ritual.

Cosima started warming up to Delphine after a short while. She eventually forgave her for not telling her about being involved in the con and she genuinely enjoyed being around her. There was only so much she could talk to Scott about without it becoming a conversation about tabletop games.

One day, as they’re working together in the lab, they’re standing incredibly close to each other, while sharing a microscope. Cosima feels something brush against her hand and looks down to see Delphine’s hand. The thump of her heart practically shakes her entire body. She slowly slides her hand over the other, interlocking their fingers. Delphine breathes a sigh of relief when she feels Cosima’s hand squeezing hers.

“I’ve been thinking,” Cosima begins saying slowly, ”It’s been long enough. I think you’ve finished your probation period.

Delphine looks at her quizzically, tilting her head. “My probation period?”

 Cosima nods and turns to face Delphine. As their eyes meet, Cosima’s natural resolve dissipates and she’s left completely vulnerable and exposed to the taller woman. She takes a breath and holds both of Delphine’s hands in hers, staring down at them.

“The truth is, I’ve been thinking a lot. About us.”

Delphine doesn’t say anything, waiting for Cosima to continue. Her thumbs draw tiny circles over the tops of Cosima’s fingers.

“So, I’ve decided that I’m willing to see where things go – between us, I mean. We’ve already started the relationship off by lying to and deceiving each other, so hopefully that’s out of our systems. And I suppose that we’ll have to lay out some ground rules since you’re technically my boss. I don’t know, do we need to speak to HR?”

Delphine watches Cosima ramble and when she’s sure that she’s finished, she brings Cosima’s hands to her mouth and kisses her knuckles.

“One step at a time,” she says softly, almost whispering. She smiles gently and releases Cosima’s hands, bringing her own up to cup the sides of Cosima’s face, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on the surprised brunette.

Cosima rests her hands on Delphine’s hips and leans into the kiss, feeling all of the uncertainty and apprehension fall from her shoulders. Her arms wrap tighter around Delphine and she turns both of them and pushes Delphine against the lab counter. Cosima leans her hips into Delphine’s and braces her arms on each side of her on top of the counter. Delphine experimentally opens her mouth a little wider and brushes her tongue against Cosima’s, which causes her to moan. Cosima trails a hand down Delphine’s thigh and remembers their last encounter in the restroom at the gala. She pulls away, breaking the kiss, and causes a tiny whine to come from Delphine. 

Cosima looks at her watch and it’s close enough to 5:00.

“Maybe we should take this to your place,” she says suggestively, eyes still fiery and intense. Cosima wasn’t about to take no for an answer, so before Delphine can reply, she takes her hand and pulls her out of the lab and toward the elevator.

They’re silent for the entire ride down to the lobby, listening to each other’s breaths. Their silence continues all the way to the car and on the ride to Delphine’s, the only words they say to each other are passive comments about billboards they see, or snorting at a funny street name.

When they arrive at Delphine’s penthouse, Cosima cranes her neck upwards to look at the height of the building. She lets out a low whistle.

“Fancy. It pays to be the boss,” she says jokingly.

Delphine lets out a low chuckle and uses her keycard to enter the building. They walk through the swanky lobby, where almost everything has gold trimming and shines blindingly. Even the elevator is coated in gold. They enter through the elevator doors and Delphine pushes the button for the top floor. The ride is smooth and the elevator dings when they arrive. They step out and walk to Delphine’s door, which is at the very end of the hall.

Cosima is uncharacteristically nervous; she’s slept with plenty of other women, but the thought of sleeping with Delphine fills her with uneasiness. She’s not sure if it’s because they’ve waited so long, or because she’s that excited, but in any case, she can’t stop shaking.

When they walk in, Cosima looks around and the place is filled with fresh foliage and contemporary art hanging on every wall.

Delphine heads straight to her kitchen area and pours them a couple of drinks. Cosima stands in the middle of the living room awkwardly, not sure where to go and she doesn’t want to touch or break anything. Delphine walks over with two glasses and hands one to Cosima. She motions for them to move over to the couch, which looks more expensive than all of Cosima’s furniture combined. It’s ivory white leather and facing a fireplace that Delphine turns on with the push of a button on a remote control.

They each sip wine from their respective glasses and Cosima darts her eyes between Delphine’s and all of the other things in the penthouse.

She finally breaks the silence. “You have a really nice place.”

Delphine smiles from behind her glass. “Thank you. I rarely have company, so it’s nice to show it off for once.”

Cosima continues to nervously drink wine from her glass, until Delphine takes it from her after realizing that she’s been hiding behind it.

“Hey, I wasn’t done with that,” Cosima protests. When she sees the hungry look in Delphine’s eyes, she swallows hard.

Delphine scoots closer to Cosima, lifting a hand to her cheek. She leans in and stops right before kissing Cosima, silently asking for permission first. Cosima closes the rest of the distance and kisses Delphine gently. It doesn’t take long for Delphine to deepen the kiss, angling her head and swiping her tongue across Cosima’s, since she knew from the gala bathroom encounter that she liked it. Cosima’s grip on Delphine’s thigh tightens and she rests her other hand on Delphine’s waist.

The scent of Delphine’s perfume flows through Cosima’s nostrils and it makes her feel intoxicated. She gently nips at Delphine’s lower lip, which emboldens the blonde. Delphine grabs both sides of Cosima’s face and pulls her in closer, their kiss turning into raw passion. Delphine leans into Cosima, pushing her back into the couch and lying on top of her. 

Cosima maneuvers her knee in between Delphine’s legs, pushing up ever so slightly into her core. It causes Delphine to break their kiss and she throws her head back, giving off the most sexual groan Cosima has ever heard.

“Maybe we should move to the bedroom,” Cosima whispers in Delphine’s ear.

Delphine ignores her suggestion and continues to rock back and forth on Cosima’s leg, rubbing herself just right. Her breaths become shorter and more ragged. Cosima moves her hands underneath the blonde’s shirt and lightly drags her nails up and down the small of her back. The movements become more hurried and Delphine’s moans are more frequent and getting louder. Cosima pulls the blonde to her chest and Delphine breathes heavily into Cosima’s neck while she comes with one last gasp. Cosima feels Delphine’s body twitch while she rides out her orgasm and kisses her forehead.

After Delphine recovers, Cosima sits up and swings her legs over the edge of the couch. She stands up and holds her hand out, waiting for Delphine to take it. Once she does, Cosima asks Delphine to show her the way to the bedroom. They walk down a hallway and through a door that opens up to a huge room with glass windows that cover entire walls. If they weren’t on the top floor, Cosima would feel a little self-conscious.

She has Delphine sit on the edge of the bed. Finally having the height advantage for once, she leans down and kisses Delphine. She asks if it’s okay if she takes off Delphine’s shirt and she obliges, lifting her arms up to make it easier. Cosima takes the shirt off and tosses it gently to the ground. She then bends down and kisses Delphine’s abdomen, which makes her suck in a breath. Hands reach for the button of her pants.

“Is this okay?” Cosima asks, making sure Delphine is still comfortable with everything she’s doing.

Delphine strokes Cosima’s cheek with her thumb and nods. Cosima unbuttons the pants and lowers the zipper. She starts peeling the pants down lithe legs and Delphine lifts herself up, so Cosima can remove them completely. Not being able to handle the lack of physical contact, Delphine brings Cosima up to her, kissing her deeply, darting her tongue in Cosima’s mouth and eliciting that moan that she loves so much.

Cosima scoots the both of them higher up the bed and lies next to Delphine, ghosting her fingertips up the blonde’s thigh. She kisses Delphine on the sensitive skin behind her ear and feels her shudder beneath her. As Cosima kisses the length of Delphine’s neck, she brings her hand up to a breast.

“This okay?” She asks. Delphine nods.

Cosima slides her hand underneath the cup of the bra and pinches a nipple between her finger and thumb. Delphine breathes in sharply and kisses Cosima, turning her body toward the brunette.

“Touch me,” Delphine whispers breathlessly in between kisses.

Cosima breaks away and looks into Delphine’s eyes. She tucks the blonde curls behind the other woman’s ear.

“Are you sure?” She asks, trying to temper her excitement and lust-filled eyes.

When Delphine nods, Cosima wastes no time and slides her hand beneath the elastic band of the blonde’s panties, sliding a finger timidly through Delphine’s wetness, which causes her hips to buck up into her hand. She does it again, this time more purposefully, and ends her trail at the tiny bundle of nerves. Delphine cries out when Cosima rubs her there, gripping Cosima’s shoulder and digging her nails into bronze skin. Cosima’s practiced circular motions makes Delphine feel something in her body that she can’t recall ever feeling. It starts as a low rumble in her stomach and intensifies as each second progresses. Cosima attaches her mouth to Delphine’s neck, sucking and biting, still rubbing the place that Delphine needs her.

Delphine grasps Cosima’s wrist and directs her fingers to her entrance. Cosima looks at her with confusion.

“Inside,” Delphine whispers breathlessly.

Cosima’s eyes widen briefly and then slides her finger into Delphine’s entrance, slowly, giving her time to adjust. Delphine gives her a small nod to let her know she’s okay. Cosima pumps her finger in and out, bumping the blonde’s clit with her palm with every thrust. Cosima can feel Delphine getting closer to her climax, so she begins rubbing the bud with her thumb. Delphine’s pants become more urgent and she moves her hand to grip the back of Cosima’s neck. She feels her orgasm building up and with one last thrust, she cries out and kisses Cosima, riding out her second orgasm.

Cosima brings Delphine close in an embrace, nuzzling her face in the side of the blonde’s neck, kissing it tenderly. They lie there for a while, just taking each other in, matching each other’s breaths. Delphine is the first one to speak.

“Am I more than just a mark to you now?” She asks coyly.

Cosima smiles, hiding her face in Delphine’s neck. She breathes in her scent and knows she’ll never tire of it. Finally, she answers back. “You are everything to me.”


End file.
